High school football: What you need to know about the 2012 News-Herald Senior Bowl presented by Hooley House

It's been more than seven months since Kirtland won the Division V state football championship, and that was the last time the area had any serious gridiron action.

Since then, the calendar turned to another year, two prep seasons have come and gone and the class of 2012 has graduated, so the guess is you are more than ready for some football.

The wait ends for frenzied football fanatics in a big way Friday as the 2012 News-Herald Senior Bowl presented by Hooley House returns to Jerome T. Osborne Sr. Stadium in Mentor. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.

The game will feature 75 of the top senior players in the coverage area. Gates open at 5:30 p.m.

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The buzz has started and should reach a fever pitch by Friday, but along with the excitement comes questions. Here is a guide to this week and especially to what you can expect at the JTO in five days.

-- The N-H Senior Bowl is a football all-star game in the same sense as the Ohio North-South game or the Big 33. It is for players who just graduated, not for players who are entering their senior year. Conventional all-star game rules will apply.

-- All six OHSAA divisions and all three counties in The News-Herald coverage area will be represented in the N-H Senior Bowl. From Division I Mentor to Division VI Ledgemont and all teams in between. From as far east as Madison in eastern Lake County to as far west as Benedictine on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Cleveland, we have the area well-represented.

-- Tickets are available at The News-Herald and at Hooley House in Mentor, and they will be available at the gate on Friday. Tickets purchased in advance are $5. At the gate, adult tickets will be $7. Tickets for students and children are $5. No discounts or passes will be accepted.

-- If you can't be there in person, the game will be broadcast live on KNR2-AM 1540 and streamed live at ESPNCleveland.com. Jason Gibbs and Kenny Roda will be on the call.

-- The teams will practice each day this week. The White team, coached by Tim Willis (Madison) and the visiting team on the scoreboard, will practice from 5 to 7 p.m. The Blue team, coached by George Burich (North) and the home team on the scoreboard, will practice from 7 to 9 p.m.

-- The support for this game has once again been amazing. This week's practices alone are each sponsored by a different establishment that has donated food for the players. Monday is sponsored by Hooley House. Tuesday is sponsored by Glory Daze Bar and Grille in Wickliffe. Wednesday is Subway of Mentor. Thursday is Scrambler Marie's, coming soon to Mentor.

-- A 7-on-7 tournament hosted by Mentor will take place during the day leading up to the N-H Senior Bowl.

-- Former Notre Dame and NFL running back and 1997 Mr. Football winner Tony Fisher will be on hand for the pregame coin toss. The Fisher Award, given annually to The News-Herald football player of the year, is, you guessed it, named after Fisher. And the 2011 co-winners of the Fisher Award -- Mentor QB Mitch Trubisky and South running back Kareem Hunt -- will be on hand for the festivities as well.

-- The national anthem will be performed by Jeff Monreal. The 1992 North graduate -- who went on to play college football -- has experience singing "The Star Spangled Banner" on big stages. He has performed the song at Progressive Field before an Indians game and at Classic Park prior to a Captains game.

-- The 2011 Division V state champion Kirtland Hornets will be recognized on the field between the first and second quarters. Coach Tiger LaVerde and members of the title team will be on hand.

-- New this year is the addition of cheerleaders and a halftime show featuring the Mentor majorettes. The North Rangers cheerleaders and the Madison Blue Streaks cheerleaders are scheduled to provide some spirit and support on the sidelines for the teams. The Mentor majorettes will perform two award-winning routines at halftime following the presentation of the 2012 News-Herald Scholar-Athlete Award.

-- Following the presentation of the Dick Beeler Award to the game's MVP, a postgame party will be held at Hooley House, located at 7861 Reynolds Road in Mentor. All fans, parents, coaches and players are welcome.